Making up, and Making out
by shannyforever
Summary: Jane and Maura argue over a misunderstanding. Making up turns to making out. Rizzles, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

They drove the short distance to Jane's house in resolute silence. They rain was pelting down onto the windscreen making it impossible to get to their destination at the speed they both stubbornly wanted. As Jane drove past Maura's car in search of a car space as close to her apartment as possible, Maura's anger boiled over.

"You can't even drop me at my car, Jane?" Maura asked, heatedly. "Now who's being immature?"

Jane's nostrils flared with anger as she reversed her car into a space over 300 metres from her apartment.

"Your **_keys_** are in my **_apartment_**_, _Maura!" Jane retaliated with as much venom as she received.

"Well, you could have dropped me at your apartment," Maura mumbled stubbornly as she looked out the window at the rain pelting down even harder than before.

"Oh, no. If I gotta get wet, then you're sure as hell gonna get wet too," Jane replied, turning off her car as her eyes scanned between watching Maura, and watching the rain come down on her windscreen.

"Well, its ok for you," Maura replied, glancing down at Jane's clothes, "Your clothes are from… from Walmart. This is a Valentino Garavani!"

"Excuuuse me?" Jane turned, now fuming. "I don't care if you're wearing a gown made for the Queen of freakin' England… And I do not buy my clothes at Walmart!"

"Well, you could have fooled me," Maura replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she looked Jane up and down before meeting her eyes.

"Get out of the car, Maura," Jane seethed through gritted teeth as she opened her door and got out, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Slam it a little harder Jane! I don't think it's shut!" Maura called out through Jane's closed door.

Maura was visibly surprised when Jane's door opened again, and Jane peered back in angrily, "What did you say?"

"N…Nothing," Maura replied quietly in response, looking anywhere but at Jane.

"That's what I thought," Jane replied, "Now get out," she finished before slamming the door shut harder than the first time, causing Maura to flinch.

With a deep breath Maura braced herself and stepped out of the car. She saw Jane a few metres ahead as she closed the door and heard it 'beep' locked as she followed her. She attempted to run but was limited by her Jimmy Choos, and so settled for a half walk, half jog. As she internally fumed at Jane's ability to take long easy strides, Maura cursed herself for leaving her car at Jane's house that morning. She cursed herself for drinking too much, and cursed herself for falling asleep next to Jane, and cursed herself… well, she just cursed.

She looked up, her face a picture of outrage, to find Jane standing under a bus stop waiting for her, laughing. This did not go down well. As she approached Jane, she notice a small puddled in the gutter. Not caring about her already ruined shoes, with a swift flick of her foot, she successfully covered Jane in a splash of cold, dirty water. When she realised what she'd actually done, she covered her face (and smile), and eyed the detective with a small amount of fear and shock.

Jane was also shocked. She opened her arms and glanced down at her once wet, and now also dirty, clothes. She opened her mouth to speak as she looked up and saw Maura attempting to hide her smile behind her hand.

"You did not just…" Jane began, eying Maura with contempt, "Oh you are so gonna cop it!"

"Jane?" Maura replied, slowly moving away from Jane and towards her apartment, her smile now completely vanished.

"You better run Maura," Jane stated as she started towards Maura.

"Wait, Jane," Maura countered as she turned and attempted to jog towards the apartment. "Jane, I didn't mean it!" she called back to Jane who was easily gaining on her.

"Hives Maura!" was all Jane said in response.

When Jane finally caught Maura, she picked her up from behind in a bear hug, effectively covering the back of the impeccably dressed Medical Examiner in mud.

"Eeeeek," Maura squealed, attempting to squirm her way out of Jane's hold.

"Oh no you don't," Jane replied, now laughing.

"Jane!" Maura squealed again, attempting to hold in her own laughter. This was, after all, an expensive outfit, and was no laughing matter. "Jane, stop, please. I give."

With one finally squeeze Jane let go of Maura who swiftly turned to face Jane. She attempted to give Jane the 'evil eye', however watching Jane in fits of laughter deterred her. She was just glad that Jane was no longer mad at her.

Maura looked down at her ruined dress and shoes before looking up at the rain that was not showing any signs of slowing down. As much as she was annoyed that her outfit was a wreck, she had to admit that running around in the rain was more enjoyable than she imagined. She realised that, despite her uncharacteristically tattered state, with Jane beside her, she didn't have a care in the world. She didn't care what passers-by thought, she didn't care that she might get sick, and she didn't care that her outfit was ruined. All she cared about was that Jane was laughing and not yelling at her, and that she hadn't ruined her friendship with Jane by once again being out of tune with the codes of friendship. With this in mind, Maura smiled, her eyes closed, her arms outstretched, and her face looking towards the sky.

When Jane's laughter eventually subsided and she was able to stand upright again, she looked up to see Maura the most free-spirited she had ever seen her. She looked on in wonderment, unable to tear her eyes away, and unable to remove the awe filled smile that settled on her face. Maura's hair was stuck to her neck and her face, her make-up had started running, her dress was clinging even tighter to her body than usual and droplets of water were trickling down her neck, over her heaving chest. With her arms outstretched looking towards the sky, she didn't think she had ever seen anything more beautiful.

At that moment, Maura opened her eyes and looked over at Jane. What she saw in Jane's eyes was overwhelming. She saw love, and admiration. She saw happiness, and wonderment. And when she saw Jane's eyes flick down to her tight fit dress, up to the rain soaked skin of her chest and over her lips, she also saw something in those dark pools that she never expected to see. Lust. Want. Desire.

"Jane?" Maura queried curiously, looking at Jane for an explanation of what was happening.

Hearing her name, Jane looked back into Maura's eyes, seemingly startled from her daze.

"We better get inside," Jane replied as she moved towards the door of her apartment block leaving a confused Maura in her wake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the feedback lovelies :-)**

"Jane?" Maura called out as she followed Jane into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

"I'll get you a towel," Jane replied bitterly, and without looking in Maura's direction she walked off down the hall.

Returning with two towels, she tossed one at a stunned Maura and continued to the lounge room to dry herself properly.

"Did I miss something?" Maura eventually asked, unable to hide her confusion. One minute they were arguing about a simple misunderstanding, then they were playing and laughing in the rain, and now Jane was back to being standoffish with her.

"Yea, you missed the part where friends are supposed to stick up for each other and not _join in_ when tossers like Crowe are making fun of their best friend," Jane bit back sarcastically.

"Jane, I have already apologised for that," Maura pleaded. "And I wasn't 'joining in', Jane. I would never make fun of you!"

"Sure sounded like it to me," Jane replied as she finished drying off and picked up Maura's keys from the coffee table. "Here's your keys," she stated as she walked past Maura towards her bedroom.

Maura watched as Jane walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, essentially ending the conversation. She thought back to what had transpired in the morgue earlier that day.

_Maura was performing an autopsy with Detective Crowe and his partner hovering in the corner of the room waiting on results. Maura was paying no attention to them, concentrating only on her work, when she overheard them speak her best friends name, followed by a nickname she picked up when she was younger – Rolly Polly Rizzoli._

_"Detective Crowe, it would be in your best interest to never utter those words again, especially around me," Maura stated firmly, not looking up from her autopsy._

_Detective Crowe walked around the autopsy table to stand on the opposite side of Maura, before making his apologies._

_"I apologise doc," Detective Crowe replied before glancing at his partner with a smirk._

_"I appreciate that, Detective Crowe," Maura replied, still concentrating on her work. "Besides, Jane was by no means over weight and did not even eat much Cannoli. It's absurd to even give her a nickname like… Rolly Polly Rizzoli."_

_"Ha, that's even funnier," Crowe childishly responded with a laugh, elbowing his partner to join in, "Rolly Polly Rizzoli eats Cannoli."_

_"I've heard them call her 'Frog Face' too," Crowes partner chimed in with a grin._

_Maura stood up straight from her autopsy, her face stern, and was about to go to her friends defence when she watched the smile of both Detective Crowe and his partner fall as they looked with fear towards the morgue door behind Maura. Maura turned to see a hurt and angry Jane Rizzoli standing behind her._

_"Really, Maur?" Jane asked heatedly, "I mean, I expected it from that jerk, but…" Jane sighed, unable to believe what she had just walked in on._

_"What?" Maura replied, confused, looking between the two detectives and Jane. "Wait… Jane!" Maura called out as she watch Jane turn and walk away._

Maura was standing in the doorway to Janes' apartment, now towel dry, and still very unsure about what Jane was so angry about. Was she making fun of Jane? She didn't think she was, but maybe she was and didn't realise. The fact that Jane wasn't wanting to discuss it was also making her quite angry. She had apologised for upsetting Jane, but was honestly unsure about what it was that upset her so much. What she did know was that the longer this went on, the worse she would feel.

With determination she strode to Janes' bedroom door, determined to solve this once and for all.

"Jane," Maura began, walking straight in to Janes' bedroom without hesitation, "I don't know what you're so upset about, but we need to…" Mauras' voice stilled when she finally looked up to see an almost naked Jane, topless with her pants around her ankles, standing by her bed.

"Wha… Maura!" Jane exclaimed, bringing her hands up to cover her breasts before realising she had her pants around her ankles. Looking down at her pants, she was contemplating whether to try to pull them up, or to keep her hands over her chest. When she looked up to admonish Maura for barging in, her anger faulted at the expression on Maura's face.

Maura was unable to move. Her hand remained on the door handle, but her eyes were roaming not so subtly over Janes' body. Her long tanned legs that went on forever. The surprisingly sexy black, lacy underwear that sat where those long lets met. Her flat, toned abdominal muscles. Her (now covered) glorious breasts.

Jane noticed the look of arousal in Maura's eyes as they roamed over her body. As they locked eyes, however, the look of arousal became a look of fear.

"Maura?" Jane questioned.

"What? Yes, god, I'm sorry," Maura replied before swiftly turning around to regain her composure.

After a few deep breathes and a slight shake of her head, Maura got back to her point.

"We are still going to talk about this," Maura stated, still standing at the door holding its' handle, but now facing away from a naked Jane.

"Do you think maybe we could discuss it, oh I don't know, when I'm not naked?" Jane replied in a huff.

"Yes, sorry. I'll wait out here," Maura replied before closing the door and walking towards the lounge.

When Maura left the room, Jane started dressing into some clean, dry clothes. Her mind was a buzz, going over what she had just witnessed. Had she really just watch her best friends' eyes glaze over in a haze of arousal at the sight of her own nakedness? It would never have even been conjured up as a possibility before today… Before she herself, whilst witnessing a very wet and very sexy best friend standing in the rain, felt aroused because of said best friend. As she sat dejectedly on the end of her bed, the last remaining article of clothing in her hand (her shirt), her thoughts went to the reason they were having this fight in the first place and the incident that Jane was so upset about.

_Jane needed a break. Not just a break in the case, which she was hoping to get from the lab results Maura had ordered, but also a break from work. She had been working tirelessly all day and had come up empty handed. With this in mind, she knew that a visit to her favourite Medical Examiner would be just the thing to cheer her up a little._

_As she stepped out of the elevator and made her way to the morgue, she overheard muffled voices coming from the autopsy room. Realising that Maura probably had company, she felt a little upset that she wouldn't have Maura all to herself, but continued on her path with the intention of asking about the lab results she was waiting on._

_As she reached the morgue, the conversation she walked in on was not what she was expecting._

_"…Rolly Polly Rizzoli," Maura stated as she performed her autopsy._

_"Ha, that's even funnier," Crowe childishly responded with a laugh, elbowing his partner to join in, "Rolly Polly Rizzoli eats Cannoli."_

_"I've heard them call her 'Frog Face' too," Crowes partner chimed in with a grin._

_Jane watch on, at first feeling like her heart had just been completely ripped out by her best friend. But then anger took residence as she watched the blood drain from Detective Crowes face and Maura turned to see what had caused it._

_"Really, Maur?" Jane asked heatedly, "I mean, I expected it from that jerk, but…" Jane sighed, unable to believe what she was hearing._

_"What?" Maura replied, confused, looking between the two detectives and Jane. "Wait… Jane!" Maura called out as Jane walked back to the elevators._

Determined to let Maura know just how much her comment had hurt her, Jane stood and pulled her shirt on over her head before abruptly opening her door and making her way to her lounge. She found Maura standing in the middle of the room looking into space, her back to Jane. Her arms were wrapped around herself protectively.

"Ok, let's talk," Jane insisted with a great deal of annoyance in her voice as she sat in the sofa.

Maura turned to face Jane, wiping away the remains of tears that had been present.

"Wait, are you crying?" Jane asked, standing back up and reaching for Maura's shoulder. "That's not fair, Maura. Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry Jane," Maura started, her eyes downcast and unable to meet Janes. "I'm just really confused about why you're so angry at me. And I hate it when you're angry at me, because I miss you… I miss… I miss…" Maura wasn't able to articulate to Jane just what she missed because she herself wasn't able to figure out exactly what it was that she missed.

"Ok, wait, stop," Jane interrupted. "Sit down, stop crying, and tell me why you're confused," Jane said as she guided Maura to the sofa.

Janes' anger subsided at the sight of Maura in tears, but she was still unhappy with her best friend. And if anything, she was now also upset with herself for being so easily swayed from anger at the mere sight of Maura in distress. Shouldn't it be her crying and upset?

"Well, because, Detective Crowe was making fun of you, and I told him I didn't like him doing that in front of me," Maura finally replied, looking up at Jane only once she had finished her reply.

"I heard you call me Rolly Polly Rizzoli, Maura," Jane responded, confused about how Maura was able to so easily lie to her.

"No, Jane, I didn't," Maura replied, also confused. "I actually told him that it was a silly nickname because you were not overweight and didn't even eat much cannoli. And then," Maura began, now getting a little angry herself at what Detective Crowes partner had said. "That horrid man said that people were calling you Frog Face, and it made me furious. I was about to say something when you walked in, Jane. I promise, I wasn't making fun of you. I can't lie, you know I can't lie. Why don't you believe me?" Maura finished, beginning to get upset again.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," Jane replied, pulling Maura into her arms and rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions after only hearing half of the story, and I'm sorry. I believe you, Maura."

It wasn't long before Maura's cry was back under control. Jane continued to hold Maura, rubbing her back soothingly, as her thoughts drifted back to Maura standing in the rain. She relaxed into Maura's arms as she recalled how happy and carefree she looked standing out in the rain. She also recalled how sexy she looked all wet… standing out in the rain. With this thought, she pulled back from Maura.

"Ok, but we still have the whole 'kicking muddy water at me' incident to discuss," Jane stated, her toned full of amusement as she looked pointedly at Maura.

Maura stifled a laugh and covered her mouth as her eyes met Janes'. They shared a smile and a giggle before Maura was able to speak again.

"Jane," Maura said between laughs. "I have to be honest. It was funny," she finally got out between laughs.

"Maura!" Jane whined with a smile.

After their laughs subsided and it was obvious that their argument was resolved, Jane looked down at Maura's' damp and slightly muddy outfit.

"Right. Let's get you out of those clothes," Jane stated, tapping Maura's thigh and standing up. She turned to face Maura when she realised she was the only one standing to find Maura had broken out into a grin and raised her eyebrow suggestively.

"And into something clean, and… not wet," Jane finished with a smile, gesturing to her clothes before making her way down the hall. "Did you want to stay tonight?"

Maura stood and followed Jane towards the bedroom. "I would, actually."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the encouragement to continue. I'm enjoying writing this story :-)**

While the evening progressed like any other, a chat over a meal and a glass of wine, more general chatting on the couch with the another glass of wine, the exhaustion of both Jane and Maura kept the night short and they soon found themselves in bed waiting on sleep to succumb to them. The briefness of the night's encounters did not, however, stop their minds from conjuring up thoughts of each other. _Arousing _and _confusing _thoughts of each other.

"Jane?" Maura whispered into the darkness, "Are you asleep?"

"Yes," Jane replied with a smile before she rolled over to face Maura who already lay facing her. "Can't sleep?"

"I was just pondering the fate of Detective Crowe," Maura stated with a smile that Jane was only just able to see given the darkness of the room.

Jane smiled, before responding, "He'll get his own. I'm used to his antics by now. However I am curious about what your reaction would have been, had I not walked in. Were you defending my honour, Doctor Isles?" Jane finished teasingly.

"Yes, I suppose I was," Maura replied smiling back at Jane.

After a brief silence, Jane closed her eyes, determined to force sleep to overcome her and take away her more than friendly thoughts about best friend. Thoughts that made her jaw ache because every time she let her memory (not that it asked permission) wander back to the vision of Maura standing out in the rain, her jaw clench in order to supress the urge to touch, kiss, fondle, stroke her best friend in places she had never before thought about much less seen. Thoughts that made her core ache, because the memory of those pert nipples… of water cascading down such delectable skin into a space she now wished she could bury her face were becoming too much for her body to ignore. Thoughts that involved doing very non-platonic things to very private parts of the woman lying next to her. She felt like a horny teenager, and fought her body's reactions as best she could to avoid acting on what she believed could be the undoing of the most meaningful friendship she had ever had.

Maura remained wide awake, watching Jane's face as it lay upon her hands. She watched dark lashes fall onto soft cheeks. She watch slightly parted lips, and lazy locks of hair as they lay carelessly framing Jane's face. Not unlike Jane, she also had very non-platonic thoughts about her best friend that she was determined not to act on for fear of ruining a friendship that had more meaning in her life than anything else. Thoughts that had her returning to the moment she walked in on Jane in a state of undress, only to have her breasts covered by Maura's mouth instead of Jane's hands. Thoughts that had Jane with her back against the wall with those black lace panties down with her pants around her ankles and Maura's fingers deep inside of her. Thoughts that had Jane crying out Maura's name in the throes of passion. She had never felt so turned on by just imagining what she wanted to do to someone. The fact that it was a woman wasn't really an issue for her. The fact that it was Jane, her best friend, her confidant, her rock… that was an issue, and she didn't want to change the foundation of their friendship unless she was sure it was something more than a fleeting physical attraction.

"Jane?" Maura whispered.

"Mmm," Jane responded, her eyes remaining closed.

"I am sorry for splashing water at you," Maura stated softly, watching as a small smile appeared on Jane's slightly parted lips.

"It's ok, Maur," Jane replied in hushed tones, "It actually was kind of funny."

Silence came over them once again as Maura allowed her eyes to roam from Jane's face to the rest of Jane's form. Taking in her soft, tanned skin, the steady pulse on her neck, the delicate collar bone leading to...

"Jane?" Maura whispered again, before swallowing nervously.

"Mmm?" Jane replied, eyes still closed.

Maura hesitated. She wanted to apologise for walking in on Jane. She wanted to talk about her own reaction to Jane's state of undress. She wanted to ask Jane why she was suddenly aroused by thoughts of her. She also wanted to ask Jane if what she saw in Jane's eyes was arousal when she was standing out in the rain. Fear, however, kept her from voicing what she wanted.

"Goodnight," Maura whispered.

"Goodnight," Jane replied.

After tossing and turning for over an hour, unable to sleep because of her raging hormones, Maura resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to get any sleep until she sorted out her head. She glanced across at a peacefully sleeping Jane before getting out of bed and making her way to the lounge room. As she sat down on the sofa, Jo Friday jumped up with her and swiftly made herself comfortable as she snuggled close to Maura, her head in her lap.

"Maybe you can help me, hey Jo?" Maura asked Jo Friday, patting her on the head as she looked up at Maura with eyes full of adoration.

Maura spent her time with Jo Friday analysing the data she had on her friendship with Jane. She was, as Jane so eloquently put it, a science geek, after all. It was what she did. So, she would come up with a hypothesis and test the validity of it by looking back on past examples. In this case, she had two plausible theories for the way her body was reacting to Jane.

The first was that it was merely an intense physical attraction that was brought on by a) a lack of male presence in her life and in turn a lack of sexual physical contact, b) an afternoon of intense frustration towards Jane for being… well, for being Jane, and c) the obvious fact that Jane is a gorgeous woman and sometimes gorgeous women made Maura look twice (maybe three times) and contemplate what it would be like to explore the female anatomy. She knew, however, that testing this theory was going to take time (and maybe an experiment or two), and thus could not yet be confirmed to be a valid reason for the way she was reacting to Jane.

The second theory was more involved. The second theory was scarier. The second theory took into consideration all those long gazes, all those lingering touches, all the times being with Jane made her feel like the most special person in Jane's life. It involved delving deeper into the meaning behind all the times she would rather have spent time in Jane's company, in Jane's apartment, in Jane's arms, than in the company of a respectable male suitor. The second theory was that she was in love with Jane. Thinking about it as a possibility didn't worry Maura as much as she thought it should. While there were the obvious concerns, like whether Jane felt the same way, and whether it would ruin their friendship, and how the people closest to them would react, the overall feeling of falling in love with her best friend brought a smile to her face.

She knew Jane, and Jane knew her. They held barely a few secrets from each other. They were comfortable and happy when they were together. Looking back on their friendship, she realised that the only thing that stopped their friendship from progressing into a romantic relationship was that there was no physical attraction. With this new development, however, Maura was not so sure that what she had with Jane was anything short of what people often described as 'True Love'.

She recalled that Biologist Jeremy Griffith defined love as 'unconditional selflessness', and recognised that what Jane and herself shared was just that and then some. What Jane and herself shared was so far beyond what any of her previous relationships with men ever were, for she felt truly entrenched into Jane's life and found that she wanted to be even closer, even more involved, and more deeply embedded into Jane's life. She also knew that if there was ever a threat that promised to undo, disfigure, hurt or upset Jane, she would stand in its way, no questions asked. Deep down, she knew that Jane would do the same for her.

With her mind finally free of unanswered questions about her increasing attraction to Jane (albeit there were still many obstacles to overcome), her final mission before she would be able return to bed was to put a damper on her raging hormones to enable her to get some must needed sleep. With this in mind, she moved herself out of Jo Friday's snuggle, sat on the floor in front of the sofa, and began to meditate.


	4. Chapter 4

While Maura was having an epiphany in the living area, Jane was in the bedroom trying to decipher her own hormonal reactions to her best friend, whilst also attempting to evaluate a very explicit dream involving said friend. Admitting her attraction to Maura was scary for so many reasons, and she had done her best to ignore the fact that she was very easily and quickly turned on earlier at the sight of her in the rain. After the dream she had just woken from, however, it was clear to Jane that this was not something that would be easily squashed.

In her dream, she envisioned their time in the rain becoming a heated interaction of lips and tongues exploring and worshipping bare skin. She dreamt of licking droplets of water from Maura's chest and sucking on her neck, spurred on by moans of pleasure. She dreamt about her fingers sliding up under Maura's skirt over silky white thighs and finding glory deep inside of her. And while the dream was very vivid, very erotic, and very arousing, the tenderness she also envisioned enveloped her from the moment she awoke, causing an ache in her heart. She recalled the soft whispers they shared in her dream. Whispered promises and declarations of love that she had never expected she would feel for Maura beyond the realm of friendship. But when whispered in the throes of passion, as sweaty bodies came together and moved as one, like they had been made to fit together, it was difficult for Jane to come to terms with the fact that maybe she had loved Maura this way all along.

The evidence was all there. All she needed to do was go over all the facts and put the pieces together. Did she love Maura? Or, the better question, was she _in love_ with Maura? She knew now that she was attracted to her. As she closed her eyes and pictured her… her many smiles, those eyes, that body, her oh so glorious breasts that she often found herself distracted by (why had she never realised her attraction to Maura before?). She admitted to herself, in fact, that she was so turned on by the mere thought of Maura (albeit the dream helped), that she found herself grateful that Maura was not in the bed next to her as the temptation to pleasure herself was becoming increasingly difficult not to give in to.

Determined to look beyond the physical, Jane thought back on her friendship with Maura in an attempt to figure out how deep her feelings ran. Without thinking too hard, she could right away recall several examples of times when Maura had been all that mattered. She recollected the many dates she had that ended with Jane on Maura's couch with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine, sharing a comforter with Maura. She remembered that the numerous times she felt like her world was falling apart around her, she found solace in the presence and embrace of Maura. She smiled as she realised that a mere glance, a smile, from Maura made her happy even on the worst of days. How a simple touch, lingered as they so often were, gave her the strength and courage that enabled her to move forward when nothing else seemed able to help.

It was becoming glaringly obvious to Jane that her feelings for Maura were beyond that of friendship. The next problem she needed to tackle was what to do about it. Even though her own feelings were now much clearer, she was still unsure of Maura's feelings. If she was not mistaken (and her gut instincts were telling her she was not), then Maura also felt the onset of arousal earlier when she walked in on Jane practically in her birthday suit. A single moment of attraction does not equate to being in love, however, and Jane knew that this was not something she wished to pursue unless she knew Maura was on the same page.

It then occurred to Jane that while she lay awake pondering the validity and degree of her feelings for Maura, Maura was nowhere to be seen. Jane surmised that she had been lying awake for over an hour, and it only just occurred to her that Maura was obviously not in fact in the bathroom, as she had initially assumed. This realisation brought about both hope and panic for Jane.

Hope because it might possibly indicate that Maura was having similar thoughts that needed processing, and therefore had gone to process them. Panic because there was a possibility that Maura had left, wanting space from Jane as she turned her back on the attraction that was evidently between them.

With that in mind, Jane got out of bed and went in search of Maura, to find her parked on her living room floor, seemingly meditating. It was Jo Friday's excitement at seeing Jane that announced her entrance to Maura who remained seated with her eyes close as she acknowledge her presence.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Maura asked softly.

Jane stood in front of Maura, her hands clasped nervously in front of her, contemplating her next move. The typical Jane reaction would be to make an inappropriate remark in this kind of situation; a situation where she was troubled by her feelings and how to broach a subject. But she knew that Maura would see right through her, and it would inevitably lead to Maura asking questions of Jane that she did not wish to answer just yet. Instead, Jane sat in front of Maura, mirroring her position.

"Affirmative, doctor," Jane replied with a long sigh once she was comfortably sitting and her eyes were closed. "Is this helping?"

Startled to hear Jane's voice so close, Maura opened one eye, surprised to see Jane had joined her.

"It was," Maura replied with a smile, "Shhh."

Jane opened her eyes to glare at Maura who was still watching her, "You asked me a question, and then shush me when I answer?" Jane replied in mock frustration.

Maura closed her eyes and smiled before replying, "I was preempting your incessant need to fill silence with noise."

"And now I'm noise," Jane retorted, raising her eyebrow.

"Jane," Maura warned.

"Ok, I'm shushing," Jane replied, closing her eyes once again.

Surprised that Jane had conceded so easily, Maura eyed Jane suspiciously before she shifted from her meditation pose and curled her feet up underneath herself, leaning back into the couch. She watched on as Jane was oblivious to her movement and continued to attempt to meditate. A smile formed on Maura's face as she recognised how difficult it must be for Jane to sit still in one place without doing anything. Patience never was one of Jane's strong points. Her smile grew when she noticed one of the tell-tale signs that Jane was about to break, as her fingers began to drum on her thigh.

"So how long do you normally…" Jane hesitated as she opened her eyes to find Maura watching her. Not meditating as she had thought. "What are you doing?" she asked with a grin.

"Just waiting to see how long you would be able to sit still," Maura replied, her smile now beaming with a little more cheek.

Jane merely returned her smile and leant back on outstretched hands causing her singlet to creep up slightly. It did not go unnoticed by Jane that Maura's eyes darted briefly to the bare skin that appeared on her abdomen, causing a slight hitch in Maura's breath. And it didn't go unnoticed by Maura that Jane had noticed Maura's eyes divert from her eyes. After a slightly charged moment of silence, Jane stood from her position and offered her hand to help Maura up.

"Ready to sleep?" Jane asked, looking down at Maura.

Maura looked up at Jane as an understanding passed silently between them. They both knew something had changed. They both knew that it was something they needed to discuss. But tonight was not that night.

With a simple nod, Maura took the offered hand and stood graciously. She smiled as she began to walk towards the bedroom when a gentle hand was place at the small of her back, guiding her down the hall. Such a simple gesture, one that Jane had offered an abundance of times in the past, only further convinced her that the journey they were about to embark upon together was the right one.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I apologise for the delay in getting this update to you all. Stupid life gets in the way. lol. I'm still undecided about whether this is the final chapter, or if I should write one or two more. We will see :-)**

When Jane woke the following morning she found herself once again alone in her bed. It wasn't entirely unusual or unexpected; she had grown accustom to falling asleep next to Maura and waking alone. She would often stumble out of bed to find that the ever productive Medical Examiner was already up cleaning, making breakfast, or, Jane's favourite, brewing coffee.

This morning felt different, though. There was anticipation and expectation in the air. Although Jane was scared of what was developing between Maura and herself, she was also… giddy. And Jane was rarely, if ever, giddy. But it was her giddiness that helped her realise that this was what she wanted; Maura was what she wanted.

With this in mind, Jane made her way out of bed and to the kitchen in search of a caffeinated beverage. As expected, Maura was by the bench brewing a batch of coffee. Jane stood silently in the entryway of the kitchen, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching Maura's 'coffee porn' routine. While she was always happy to satisfy her caffeine addiction with a simple instant coffee, she couldn't deny that she very much enjoyed Maura's insistence for something a little more exotic. Mostly because she (secretly) enjoyed it much more, but also because she found Maura's routine amusing. The seductive annotations Maura once used to describe how coffee is brewed had embedded itself into Jane's memory, and it was what she envisioned and recalled every time she watched Maura making coffee since.

Jane watched the look of concentration on Maura's face; the precision in her coffee making. The way her body swayed from side to side, skirting from the sink, to the coffee machine, to the coffee cups, all with the grace of a goddess. She had a relaxed demeanor that one only possessed when they are comfortable in their surroundings. Jane loved the fact that Maura was as much at home in her kitchen as she was in her own.

"You're awake," Maura said with a smile, startling Jane from her musings, before turning back to her task. "Coffee? It's almost ready."

Jane smiled as she pushed herself off the wall and made her way to lean over the bench beside Maura. "Thanks," she replied, rubbing her face in a sleepy manner. "You're up earlier than I expected."

"Couldn't sleep," Maura replied as she poured the coffee into two cups and handed one of them to Jane. She leaned over the bench next to Jane, her hands around her coffee cup.

"Me neither," Jane sighed, sipping her coffee looking straight ahead.

"We should talk about it," Maura reasoned, staring into her coffee.

"About why I can't sleep, or why you can't sleep?"

"Both."

"Ah yes," Jane replied, standing upright and turning to lean her back against the bench. "The proverbial elephant in the room," she finished, sipping her coffee, watching Maura over the rim of her cup.

Maura stood, confusion evident on her face, and eyed Jane suspiciously before glancing around the room. At this, Jane couldn't help but laugh.

"Maura, sweetie," Jane started, placing her hand on Maura's shoulder with a smile, "It's a metaphor."

"Oh," Maura replied returning Jane's smile, before frowning, "Wait, a metaphor for what?"

"Well, if there were an elephant in the room, and…" Jane halted, unsure how to explain it. "Ok, so, if no one in the room wanted to… Wait," Jane halted again before sighing. "It just means that there's something in the room that no one is talking about, but everyone knows is there."

"Oh," Maura replied, now understanding. "You mean, like the sexual tension between us is something that we both know is there, but we are hesitant to actually acknowledge it?"

Jane smiled at Maura's forwardness. "Yes, Maura. That is exactly the elephant I was referring to."

Jane pushed of the bench and made her way to the lounge room, making herself comfortable on the sofa. As she curled her feet up underneath her, she looked over at Maura, who was still standing in the kitchen watching her, and beckoned her over with her eyes by looking at the spot next to her. Her eyes followed Maura as she made her way to the lounge room and took a seat next to her, also tucking her feet comfortably underneath her.

"Any plans for today?" Jane asked.

"Are we ignoring the elephant again?" Maura replied with a flirty smile.

"No," Jane replied, mirroring Maura's smile. "I'm just attempting to ascertain how long we have to discuss the… elephant, and perhaps…" Jane paused, hesitant to finish her sentence as she inhaled deeply.

"Perhaps?" Maura questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps… explore? A little?" Jane answered nervously, her eyes diverting to her coffee before taking a sip to fill the silence.

Maura smiled, biting her bottom lip as she looked through her eye lashes at Jane. She watched as Jane nervously sipped her coffee, relishing Jane's vulnerability because it meant that Jane was as affected by her as she was by Jane.

"Only a little?" Maura whispered questioningly.

Jane's eyes instantly went to Maura's, searching, trying to see just how much this recent revelation about their relationship meant to Maura. While it was obvious that Maura was flirting, as a response to their mutual sexual attraction, she also noticed nervousness and tenderness in her eyes.

Jane let out the breath she was holding before responding. "Maura, this is serious," she replied with a contradicting playful smile.

"Jane," Maura drawled, sitting forward to place her coffee cup on the table, "I know this is serious," she finished, sitting back closer to Jane than before. "I'm very serious… About you."

"Really?" Jane asked with a relieved smile.

"Yes, really," Maura replied as she reached out to brush stray hairs from Jane's face.

"Thank goodness," Jane replied with a sigh as she closed her eyes and moved forward to lean her forehead against Maura's.

"Jane," Maura sighed, her eyelids instinctively closing as she felt Jane's arms wrap around her.

"I don't understand where this came from," Jane whispered, recognising the intensity with which her body's was reacting to the beautiful blonde in her arms.

"Me neither, Jane," Maura replied in hushed tones as she placed her hands on Jane's hips.

"But it doesn't… I mean, it just feels…" Jane hesitated.

"Right," Maura finished for her.

"Yea," Jane replied moved back slightly to look at Maura. Her eyes gazed down to Maura's lips, anticipating their softness.

"Kiss me, Jane," Maura whispered, looking at Jane's lips.

Without any hesitation, Jane inched forward and captured Maura's lips with her own in a tender kiss.


	6. Chapter 6 (Final Chapter)

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story (and all my other stories).**

Their first kiss started off gentle and exploratory, lips getting to know one another. Warm breaths mingled as almost kisses, caressing the skin the lay millimetres before them. Soft kisses were just enough as both women built up enough courage to take the kiss to the next level. As Maura's fingertips found their way under Jane's top, caressing soft skin with delicate circles, Jane pulled back.

"Wait," Jane whispered, her eyes still closed as she tried to regain her composure.

"What's wrong?" Maura asked, worried that Jane was going to pull away from her, physically and emotionally.

Jane opened her eyes and saw the fear in Maura's eyes. She smiled, attempting to squash the fear she saw, before pulling her hand back from around Maura; her hand that still held a coffee cup.

"Coffee… need to…" Jane replied, gesturing towards the table in front of the sofa.

Maura glanced between the cup and the table before returning Jane's smile. She took the cup from Jane, placed in on the table, and turned back to straddle Jane's lap.

"Was that all, detective?" Maura purred.

The moan that escaped Jane at Maura's seductive tone quelled any apprehensive thoughts Maura might have had about Jane pulling away from her. Without articulating a response, Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist, pulling her closer, and captured Maura's lips again.

This kiss was frenzied. There was a sense of urgency; a desire they wanted to explore, a dream they wanted to live out. Bodies moulding together perfectly, like they were meant to fit together; just as in Jane's dream. The determination in Maura's thrusting caused a flood of arousal through Jane's entire body, eliciting a groan that was almost primal. Surprised and alarmed by her body's reaction, Jane halted their ministrations to regather.

"Jane?" Maura questioned, chest heaving in front of Jane as she attempted to regain her breath.

"Sorry, it's just…" Jane replied, her eyes closed as she struggled to formulate a sentence. "I think we… Maybe we should slow it down a little… Don't you?"

Jane opened her eyes and looked at Maura for a response and almost let her body take control again. Maura was flushed, her hair was a sexy messy, her eyes were dark and slightly closed with arousal, and her lips were partially open as she took deep breaths in an attempt to regulate her heart rate.

"I guess," Maura replied hesitantly.

"You guess?" Jane asked teasingly.

"If you think we need to slow things down, we can, Jane," Maura elaborated.

They shared a look of understanding; a tender look that turned into great, big smiles, each allowing the other to show just how happy this new development made them feel.

"We don't need to rush this," Jane whispered before giving Maura a chaste kiss.

"Okay," Maura replied with a grin, grabbing the collar of Jane's shirt. "But that doesn't mean we can't make out a little."

Maura lowered her lips and captured Jane's, pulling Jane up by the collar to bring her closer. She shifted on Jane's lap and fell to her side, pulling Jane with her as she moved to lay across the couch.

"You can set the pace," Maura purred pulling Jane on top of her before letting Jane capture her lips once again.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Jane groaned against Maura's lips, as a flush of wetness flooded between her legs.

"You know," Maura replied, breaking from Jane's lips and attaching her own to Jane's neck, "Looking back… We've really already had years of foreplay…"

Jane moaned in pleasure when Maura's hands made their way to her backside, pulling her closer, effectively grinding their hips against each other. As a slow, steady rhythm was created, Jane finally caved to her body's desires.

"Well, when you put it like that," Jane almost growled as she sat up and removed her top before her lips came crashing back down onto Maura's. Spurred on by Jane's boldness, Maura rolled Jane off the couch and landed on top of her on the floor, straddling her hips.

"Oh my God," Jane sighed, adjusting to their sudden change of positions, "You are insatiable."

Maura removed her own top seductively. "And you are gorgeous," she replied, moving down to lay the length of her body upon Jane's.

"That just happened," Jane sighed between deep breaths as she lay naked on her back next to an equally naked Maura on the floor of her living area.

"It did," Maura replied, also out of breath. She glanced across at Jane, who glanced back at her, and they both began to laugh.

Jane rolled so that she was positioned half on top of Maura. "Tell me again why we never did this before?"

"Hmm," Maura replied, running her hands through Jane's hair as it fell around her face, "Because we only recently realised how attracted we were to each other?"

Jane smiled in response. "It seems so obvious now," she whispered, running her hands down Maura's body.

"And because we didn't want to ruin our friendship," Maura added.

"Yes, there was that," Jane sighed, letting her eyes roam across the body beneath her before bringing her eyes back to meet Maura's. "There still _is_ that."

"We'll be ok, Jane," Maura said reassuringly.

"How do you know?"

"Because, I fell in love with my best friend, and I will, just this once, make an assumption and go out on an appendage  
and say that she fell in love with me too," Maura replied.

Jane giggled slightly at Maura's inaccurate use of yet another idiom, however sensed the importance of the confession and let it pass without correction. "You would be absolutely correct in your assumption, Maura. See, guessing isn't so hard!"

"I said 'just this once', Jane. And only because after what we just did, it was kind of hard not to believe it to be true," Maura replied, brushing the hair away from Jane's face.

"I'd be happy to provide you with some more evidence, if you like?" Jane responded huskily as she rolled over to lay completely on top of Maura.

"Well, one can never have too much evidence," Maura whispered in response before lifting her head to capture Jane's lips.

So began a day, and a lifetime, of showing each other just how much they loved each other.


End file.
